AJ Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to NJPW under the ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles).2 Long regarded as one of the world's best professional wrestlers,6 Styles has headlined numerous pay-per-view events internationally. Styles debuted in 1998 and competed for various independent promotions, before gaining his first mainstream exposure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. From 2002 to 2014, he became widely known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), who described him as "the cornerstone of the company since the inception in 2002".4 Within that organization, Styles held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice and was the inaugural titleholder of the X Division Championship, which he won six times. Styles is the first professional wrestler to complete the TNA Triple Crown (five times) and the TNA Grand Slam (two times). In 2010, Styles became the first TNA-contracted wrestler to be ranked number one on the annual Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) PWI 500 list. He simultaneously appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2002–2006, where he became the inaugural ROH Pure Champion. In 2014, Styles signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and won his first of two IWGP Heavyweight Champions hips in his debut match, later becoming the third leader of the Bullet Club.78 Styles has also won various titles on international independent circuits, including the PWG World Championship. Styles first appeared in WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation, or the WWF) in 2002, but turned down a developmental contract he was offered with the company. He signed a multi-year contract with WWE fourteen years later in January 2016, making his re-debut that month and going on to win the WWE Championship in September. Both PWI and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) voted him Wrestler of the Year for 2016 and in 2017 he was inducted into the WON Hall of Fame. With his second WWE Championship victory in Manchester, England in November 2017, Styles was recognized by WWE as the first wrestler to win the title outside of North America. At 371 days, this reign is the longest in SmackDown history under the brand extension, shattering the previous record of 280 days held by John Bradshaw Layfield from 2004–2005.9 The reign is also recognized as the eighth-longest overall (tied with Randy Savage's 1988–1989 reign). Career 2019 Moveset Finishing moves * Styles Clash * Calf Crusher (WWE) / Calf Killer (NJPW/TNA/W-1) / Calf slicer (Independent circuit/ROH) – 2013–present * Phenomenal Forearm (WWE) / Springboard forearm smash (TNA/ROH/NJPW/AAA/W-1) * Spiral Tap (Corkscrew senton bomb) – 2002–2013; used rarely thereafter * Superman (Springboard 450° splash) * Figure-four leglock – 2010–2011; adopted from Ric Flair * Flying armbar – 2008–2009 * Frog splash – 2003–2006 Signature moves * Bloody Sunday (Lifting single underhook DDT) – 2014–2016; adopted from Prince Devitt * Brainbuster, sometimes onto the ring apron * Discus clothesline * Diving knee drop * Ushigoroshi (Fireman's carry neckbreaker) - name adopted from Hirooki Goto * Fireman's carry facebuster * Frankensteiner, sometimes inverted or preceded by a kip-up * Hollow Point (Kneeling ganso bomb) – 2014–2015 * Multiple DDT variations ** Cliffhanger (Crucifix hold dropped into a) ** Phenomenon / Stylin' DDT (Springboard moonsault onto a standing opponent transitioned into an inverted) ** Tornado * Multiple kick variations ** Drop, sometimes from the top rope ** Enzuigiri ** Pelé Kick (Backflip) ** Spin ** Super * Multiple suplex variations ** Snap, sometimes into the turnbuckles ** Starmaker (High-angle belly-to-back) ** Styles Suplex Special (German followed by a belly-to-back wheelbarrow facebuster) ** Vertical lifted and dropped into a neckbreaker slam * Muta Lock * Over-the-shoulder back-to-belly piledriver * Phenomenal Blitz ''(Two punches, followed by a kick, followed by a back elbow, followed by a lariat) * ''Rack Bomb (Backbreaker rack dropped into a powerbomb) * Running swinging neckbreaker * Shooting Styles Press (Springboard shooting star plancha) – 2001–2005; used rarely thereafter * Spine Breaker (Backbreaker followed by a gutbuster) * Springboard forearm smash * Stylin' Crab (Modified Boston crab) – 2001–2002 * Dropkick Championships and Accomplishments * All Access Wrestling ** AAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1 * Ballpark Brawl ** Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time)385 * Christian Wrestling Federation/Entertainment ** CWF/CWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1386 * Family Wrestling Entertainment ** FWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)387 * Independent Professional Wrestling (Florida) ** IPW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)388 * Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South ** IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)5 ** Ted Petty Invitational (2004)5 * International Wrestling Cartel ** IWC Super Indies Championship (4 times)389390391 * Independent Wrestling Revolution ** IWR King of The Indies Championship (1 time)392 * Maximum Pro Wrestling ** Max-Pro Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)5 * Midwest Pro Wrestling ** MPW Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1 * New Japan Pro-Wrestling ** IWGP Heavyweight Championship (2 times)216237 * New Korea Pro Wrestling Association ** NKPWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1 * NWA Wildside ** NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship (1 time)393 ** NWA Wildside Television Championship (3 times)394 * Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling ** PPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Suede395 * Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ** PWG World Championship (1 time)396 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated ** Match of the Year (2016) vs. John Cena at SummerSlam397 ** Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Christopher Daniels398 ** Most Popular Wrestler (2017, 2018)399400 ** Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018)397401402 ** Ranked No. 1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2010403 * Revolution Pro Wrestling ** RPW British Heavyweight Championship (1 time)404 * Ring of Honor ** ROH Pure Championship (1 time, inaugural)405 ** ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Amazing Red24 ** ROH Pure Wrestling Championship Tournament (2004)406 * Rolling Stone ** WWE Wrestler of the Year (2016)407 * Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ** NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)408 ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Jerry Lynn (1), Abyss (1) and Christopher Daniels (2)409 ** TNA Legends/Global/Television Championship (2 times)1 ** TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)410 ** TNA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tomko (1) and Kurt Angle (1)411 ** TNA X Division Championship (6 times, inaugural)412 ** First TNA Triple Crown Champion (5 times) ** First TNA Grand Slam Champion (2 times) ** Bound For Glory Series (2013) ** Gauntlet for the Gold (2007 – TNA World Tag Team Championship) – with Tomko413 ** Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Christopher Daniels414 ** Finisher of the Year (2003) Styles Clash415 ** Match of the Year (2006) with Christopher Daniels vs. Homicide and Hernandez at No Surrender on September 24, 2006416 ** Match of the Year (2009) vs. Sting at Bound for Glory on October 18, 2009417 ** Mr. TNA (2003–2005)5 ** Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Christopher Daniels416 ** X Division Star of the Year (2004)415 * World Wrestling All-Stars ** WWA International Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)418 * Wrestling Observer Newsletter ** Best Flying Wrestler (2005)419 ** Best Wrestling Maneuver (2003, 2015) Styles Clash420 ** Most Outstanding Wrestler (2014–2016)421420422 ** Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2014) vs. Minoru Suzuki on August 1421 ** Wrestler of the Year (2015, 2016)420422 ** Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)423 * WWE ** WWE Championship (2 times)336a ** WWE United States Championship (2 times)424